What do I need for a power outage?

What should I store before the power goes out?

Store water, non-perishable food, a flashlight with spare batteries, a battery or hand-crank NOAA Weather Radio, a first-aid kit, a whistle, a manual can opener, and a way to charge a phone. Ready.gov also lists sanitation supplies, a wrench or pliers for utilities, and copies of important documents. The Red Cross adds a paper contact list, because a phone is not a contact list if the battery dies.

Ready.gov’s basic disaster kit says water at one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation, plus food for several days. Its supply checklist says the radio should receive NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts. The Red Cross power outage page says to stock food and water for at least two weeks at home, and its checklist separates a go-kit of at least three days from a stay-at-home kit of at least two weeks. Those are different jobs. Pack the three-day kit so you can leave. Build the longer supply so you can stay.

FEMA’s Ready campaign, which publishes Ready.gov, says a kit is a starting point and should match the household, including pets, infants, prescriptions, and people who need extra time. If a medicine must stay cold, or a device must stay powered, ask the clinician for a plan. This site cannot make that plan.

Put an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and the freezer while they are running. USDA FSIS says the refrigerator should be at 40 °F or below and the freezer at 0 °F or below. You will need that thermometer when the power returns.

What do I do in the first 24 hours?

Leave the refrigerator and freezer doors shut, switch to the flashlight, and check official alerts on a radio if the phone is down. USDA FSIS says the unopened refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours, so most of the first day is already past that window for fridge food unless you moved it onto ice at 40 °F or below. A full freezer is a longer hold, about 48 hours if it stays closed, so the first day is still inside that freezer window.

Unplug appliances and electronics so a surge does not damage them when power returns. Both Ready.gov and the Red Cross say this. Use flashlights, not candles. The Red Cross flags candles as a fire hazard in an outage. Do not heat the home with a gas stove or oven. Ready.gov and the CDC both warn that this raises the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Ready.gov also notes fire, burns, and damage to the appliance.

Tell someone in your support network that you are all right, and check on people who may need help. If the home is too hot or too cold, or a medical device has no backup, the Red Cross says to leave for a safer place. Communities often open warming or cooling centers. Follow local instructions.

If you see a downed line, the Red Cross says to stay at least 35 feet away from the line and from anything it is touching, and to call 911. Do not step in flood water around electrical equipment. Ready.gov’s hurricane guidance says flood water can be electrically charged by underground or downed lines.

What changes at 72 hours, and at one week?

By 72 hours, a closed full freezer’s roughly 48-hour hold is over, and a half-full freezer’s roughly 24-hour hold is long over, using USDA FSIS’s times. Food that still has ice crystals or is at 40 °F or below may be refrozen. Perishable refrigerated food past the 4-hour mark without power should be discarded. A one-week stay is inside the Red Cross two-week home supply, not a sign that stores or pharmacies are open.

Water planning stays at Ready.gov’s one gallon per person per day unless the Red Cross’s longer home supply means you stored more. Rotate food and water. Check the kit before a forecast storm, which is what Ready.gov’s power-outage sheet asks.

How do I keep food safe without power?

Keep the doors closed, then use a thermometer, not the look or smell of the food. USDA FSIS says the refrigerator is safe for up to 4 hours, a full freezer for about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours. After that, discard the perishable foods on the FSIS list, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and leftovers, if the refrigerator was without power for more than 4 hours.

The full discard and “still safe” lists are on the FSIS page Keep Your Food Safe During Emergencies. FSIS also says fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic-foot freezer for two days, and not to touch dry ice with bare hands or put it directly on food. Group food in the freezer beforehand so it stays cold longer.

Refrigerated medicine is not covered by those food times. Ask a pharmacist or clinician. The Red Cross says the same.

How do I stay warm or cool without carbon monoxide poisoning?

Do not heat the house with a gas oven, a grill, or a generator indoors. Carbon monoxide is odorless. The CDC says it can cause sudden illness and death, and that people who are asleep or who have been drinking can die before they have symptoms. If the home is unsafe, go to a place that already has heat or cooling.

The CDC lists the common symptoms as headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. If you suspect poisoning, the CDC says to call 911 or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or a clinician, right away. This page is not a treatment guide.

Dress in layers, close off unused rooms, and use blankets. Ready.gov’s winter page says to limit time outside and to watch for frostbite and hypothermia. Those signs and the first actions Ready.gov lists are on the winter storm guide.

When is a generator actually safe to use?

Only outdoors, in the open, at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents, with the exhaust pointed away from the building. NFPA says never to use one in an attached garage even if the door is open. The CDC uses the same 20-foot rule and forbids basements and garages. The American Red Cross says opening doors and windows or using fans will not stop carbon monoxide from building up inside.

• The Red Cross says never to plug a generator into a wall outlet. That backfeed can electrocute utility workers, neighbors, and the household. A transfer switch is a job for an electrician, under the National Electrical Code and local rules. This site does not publish wiring steps.
• Keep the generator dry. The Red Cross says not to use it in rain or with wet hands, to let it cool before refueling, and to plug appliances in directly or with a heavy-duty outdoor cord rated for the load.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms on every level and outside sleeping areas. NFPA says to choose an alarm listed by a qualified testing laboratory, follow the maker’s placement instructions, and test at least monthly.
• There is no generator catalog here yet. The generators hub explains why. Read the longer generator and carbon monoxide guide.

Which power gear is worth buying, and how do I spot a fake discount?

Buy the category the agencies name: a flashlight, spare batteries, a NOAA Weather Radio, a battery carbon monoxide alarm, and a phone charger or power bank. A power station is useful only if its continuous watts and surge cover the nameplate on your appliance. A crossed-out price on a product page is not proof of a discount. This site records the figures a manufacturer page showed on 7 November 2026 and does not subtract them. Retailer price tracking is not connected, so no model is called a good price.

These Amazon links are searches, not picked winners, and the tag is a placeholder:

Amazon search: NOAA weather radio Amazon search link. No Associates tag is attached. Disclosure.

Amazon search: flashlight and batteries Amazon search link. No Associates tag is attached. Disclosure.

Amazon search: battery carbon monoxide alarm Amazon search link. No Associates tag is attached. Disclosure.

Amazon search: appliance thermometer Amazon search link. No Associates tag is attached. Disclosure.

Amazon search: phone power bank Amazon search link. No Associates tag is attached. Disclosure.

Specifications we have actually read are on the gear hubs. Compare a station’s recorded watts with your appliance on the runtime calculator. Depth of discharge and inverter efficiency there are assumptions, labeled as such.

How do I get ready, step by step?

Do the six steps below before a forecast storm. They follow Ready.gov’s kit, the Red Cross warning against candles, and the CDC and NFPA generator rules. The printable checklist is the same plan in a form you can mark off. Nothing here replaces an evacuation order.

1. List what needs electricity. Write down lights, phones, medical devices, and anything that keeps medicine cold. Ask the prescribing clinician for a backup plan before an outage, not during one.
2. Store water, food, and a thermometer. Store water and food that do not need a stove or a cold fridge. Put an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and the freezer now, while they are still at temperature.
3. Set out light that is not a candle. Put a flashlight and spare batteries where you can reach them in the dark. The American Red Cross says to use flashlights, not candles, because candles are a fire risk in an outage.
4. Add a radio and local alerts. Get a battery or hand-crank radio that can receive NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts, and sign up for your local alert list. Cell service is not a plan by itself.
5. Install and test alarms. Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms with battery backup. Put a carbon monoxide alarm on every level and outside sleeping areas, and test alarms monthly.
6. Keep any generator outside. If you use a portable generator, run it outdoors at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents. Never run it in a garage, even with the door open, and never plug it into a wall outlet.

Power outage questions

Which official pages is this based on?

Every safety figure above comes from one of the pages in this list, retrieved 7 November 2026. If a number is not on those pages, it is not on this page. Gear specifications, when we publish them, come from the manufacturer URL on that model page, not from these safety pages.

• Ready.gov — Power outages. FEMA’s Ready campaign.
• Ready.gov — Build a kit.
• Ready.gov — Emergency alerts, including NOAA Weather Radio.
• Ready.gov — Emergency supply list (PDF).
• CDC — What to do to protect yourself during a power outage.
• CDC — Generator safety fact sheet.
• American Red Cross — Power outage safety.
• American Red Cross — Generator safety.
• American Red Cross — Power outage preparedness checklist (PDF).
• NFPA — Carbon monoxide safety in cold weather, including generators.
• USDA FSIS — Keep your food safe during emergencies.